Brad Lipski was restless.
He had picked up his car from the police impound lot and had a brief chat with Aiden. The young officer informed him that the incident had been classified as a necessary action, meaning not only would Brad face no negative consequences, but there were even voices suggesting he should be rewarded. After all, he had saved a boy's life—the boy who had been about to be run over by a speeding bus—and perhaps even the lives of the bus passengers.
But Lipski was too restless to pay much attention to Aiden's words.
His thoughts were consumed by what had happened in his room.
Seriously, he racked his brain. What the hell had actually happened?
Brad remembered that he hadn't wanted his nieces to see his wound, so he had asked Doctor Stone to change his bandage in his room. Nothing controversial, really, and certainly nothing wrong with it. They weren't a couple of teenagers for entering another man's bedroom to be something awkward.
Unless…
Yeah. Unless at least one of them was gay.
Brad was, and it wasn't a secret. The whole town knew, though people had stopped talking about it back when he was a teenager. A gay man is only a curiosity when he comes out or brings someone new into his life. In small towns like this, whenever someone starts a new relationship—gay or straight—they always end up the subject of gossip. But Brad was single, so there was nothing for people to talk about.
Still, Stone might have heard something. Maybe by accident. Or maybe from one of his more gossip-loving patients. That would explain why the doctor had acted so weird.
Nah. Brad shook his head as he drove down the nearly empty streets.
Back in front of the house, when they had been smoking together, there had been no sign that Stone had any prejudices or concerns. At least, probably not. Well… if Brad thought about it a little more, the guy had been a bit off. Slightly tense. Flushed. Brad hadn't noticed at the time because he had been too preoccupied with his own problems, but now, looking back, it all seemed different.
Did that mean Stone knew? Or at least suspected Brad's sexual orientation? And was that something that made him uncomfortable?
Possible. Brad curled his lips in thought. Even likely. His own behavior in the room sure hadn't helped.
Did he really have to say that Colin was pretty?
Damn it. Men don't say things like that to each other, he realized with a pang. They just don't. It's so… unmanly. So… cringe.
So why the hell hadn't he kept his mouth shut?
Well, why?
Embarrassing as it was to admit, he simply hadn't been able to. The words had left his mouth on their own, driven by impulse.
Colin Stone had just looked… different that evening. No, he wasn't dressed any differently, hadn't done anything to his hair—nothing like that. He just radiated this raw, almost intoxicating sexual energy. His cheeks had burned, his eyes had darted away as if he were afraid someone might notice the fever in them. He exuded a delicious warmth. Even his scent, usually neutral—almost sterile—had shifted into something unexpectedly appealing and enticing. As if he was subconsciously calling out to the opposite sex. As if he was feverish with a need to be fulfilled.
Shame he had only managed to attract him.
Damn it.
Why was Brad even thinking about this?
Because, just like before, he couldn't help himself.
Colin Stone was just…
Lipski swallowed hard.
If Olivia was right—if Doctor Stone really was gay…
Brad pulled his Jeep into the garage, turned off the engine, but didn't get out.
Maybe he should just drive out of town to one of the nearby bars and pick up a guy. Maybe he'd find someone new, someone attractive. He hadn't done that since he'd left town, and that had been years ago. An hour's drive each way, a quick hookup, then back home? At least he'd get some of this tension out of his system.
He curled his lips again, this time in frustration, as guilt started creeping into his heart. His head slumped onto the steering wheel.
He'd grounded his niece, and now he was about to waste three hours of his life, running off to another city just to blow off some steam? That didn't seem very fair.
He took a deep breath.
He needed more air.
He stepped out in front of the garage.
Without thinking, his gaze drifted toward the annex where Stone was now staying.
Maybe he should talk to him openly to avoid any misunderstandings? Just say it outright—that he was gay, and if he ever did something that crossed a line in the doctor's eyes, he should just tell him? They didn't need any confusion between them. It wasn't like Lipski would ever do anything to a man who didn't want it.
Brad understood what it was like to be on the receiving end of unwanted attention. He'd been the town heartthrob for as long as he could remember, and plenty of girls had wanted to date him. But he had to turn them all down. At first, he tried going out with them, but it just felt… dull. So he stopped. Some of them understood, others didn't.
Either way, being pursued by someone you weren't interested in was never pleasant.
With a sigh of frustration, he ruffled his hair.
It wasn't like he was pursuing Colin. The guy was handsome, charming, smart, brave—the full package. But he wasn't gay.
Shame. A damn shame. But what could he do about it? Nothing.
So maybe he should just tell the doctor. Just in case. It wasn't a secret, after all.
Brad only now realized he was standing right in front of the annex door. His lips curled slightly. His finger tapped rhythmically against the denim of his jeans.
Seriously? he mocked himself. You're really going to announce it just like that?
He immediately turned around.
The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the trees, painting their leaves in gold and amber, though they still held onto their late-summer green, heavy with warmth. Shadows of branches danced over the grass in a tangle of trembling patterns, flickering like light on water. The dense, sprawling bushes cast jagged patches of darkness, and among their tangled branches, tiny reflections glimmered—pale, fleeting, as if even the light itself wasn't sure whether it wanted to linger.
The sun hung low, gliding over the edges of leaves like a lazy spark. Its glow fractured on the rough bark, carving the outlines of trunks in sharp relief before fading softly into shadow, turning branches into silhouettes sculpted from twilight. Patches of warm light still stretched across the ground, but their borders were slowly dissolving into gray.
The wind stirred in the treetops, rustling the leaves, and with them, their shadows danced one last time before nightfall.
A change in the weather was coming.
Yeah, no. Announcing out of nowhere that you're gay? That would be ridiculous. It was better to just let things unfold naturally…
"Brad?"
Lipski halted mid-step, just as he was about to head back toward his house. He didn't need to turn around to know who had called him. His heart recognized the voice instantly, giving a startled jolt.
He turned.
And froze, stunned.
Colin Stone's face in the dimming twilight looked like a sculpture of Apollo himself.